Broadcast Lighting Control Reduces Bandwidth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current lighting control systems require complex, costly, and non-redundant central controllers to manage numerous individually addressable light sources, leading to high bandwidth requirements, size constraints, and non-intuitive user interfaces, making them impractical for dependable and user-friendly multi-location control.
Innovation Solution
A control unit that selects and broadcasts illumination parameters to a subset of light sources, reducing the need for individual addressing and enabling local control through RF-communication, PLC, or DMX, allowing for cost-effective, redundant, and user-friendly lighting management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a central control unit individually addresses each light source in a lighting system, then precise control of each light source is achieved, but the system complexity, cost, and bandwidth requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the lighting control into two segments: a central control unit that manages groups of light sources and local control units at each lighting device that can independently process broadcast signals. This segmentation allows precise control without requiring the central unit to individually address every light source, reducing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Local control units act as intermediaries between the central control unit and the light sources. These intermediaries receive broadcast signals containing group identifiers and illumination parameters, then apply the control settings to the appropriate light sources within their local context, eliminating the need for complex individual addressing
2Ease of operation
If a large number of lighting channels are individually controlled, then each light source can be precisely adjusted, but the data rate and bandwidth requirements become prohibitively high
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges control signals for multiple light sources into single broadcast messages. Instead of transmitting separate control data for each light source, the central control unit creates broadcast signals that contain illumination parameters and group identifiers, which are then simultaneously applied to multiple light sources through local control units, dramatically reducing bandwidth consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The same broadcast signal containing control parameters is copied and distributed to multiple local control units simultaneously. Each local control unit receives an identical copy of the broadcast message and applies it to its associated light sources, enabling efficient one-to-many control without requiring high bandwidth for individual transmissions
3Ease of operation
If a centralized control architecture is used, then all lighting devices can be managed from one point, but the system lacks redundancy and becomes a single point of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The control architecture is segmented into multiple independent control units distributed across the lighting system. Each local control unit can independently process broadcast signals and control its associated light sources, creating redundancy. If the central control unit fails, the distributed control units can continue to receive and execute broadcast commands, maintaining system operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter of control signal processing from centralized-exclusive to distributed-capable. Local control units are designed to process broadcast signals independently, changing the system's control parameters from requiring central unit intervention to allowing autonomous local execution, thereby introducing redundancy without sacrificing centralized management capabilities
4Speed
If high bandwidth network interfaces are used to support individual light source control, then control data can be transmitted quickly, but the physical size and cost of lighting devices increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of equipping each light source with high-bandwidth interfaces capable of handling individual control data streams, the system uses partial action by implementing lightweight local control units that only process broadcast signals. This partial implementation of control capability at each device reduces the required interface bandwidth and device size while maintaining overall system control speed through efficient broadcast transmission
Data Source
AI summary
A control unit for controlling an illumination parameter of one or more light sources of a plurality of light sources is described. The control unit being arranged to—select the one or more light sources of the plurality of light sources, receive an input signal representing a required value of the illumination parameter for the selected one or more light sources, convert the input signal to a broadcast signal for the plurality of light sources;—enable the broadcast signal to be provided to the plurality of light sources thereby enabling the selected one or more light sources to comply with the required value of the illumination parameter.